Spool-holder.



No. 810,292. PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906. J. W. MEAKBR.

SPOOL HOLDER. Y

APPLICATION FILED APR.20,1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN W. MEAKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO MEAKER SALES COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

SPOOL-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906,

Application filed April 20,1904, Serial No. 204,086.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN W. MEAKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spool-Holders and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an improved case or holder designed to contain a spool of sewing thread or cotton and to hold the same in such manner that the spool may turn or rotate as the thread is drawn therefrom and which is provided with means for holding or gripping the severed end of the thread and for holding it in position to be readily grasped when drawing out a new piece or length.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective vew of a spool-holder embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the inner sheet-metal member of the holder by which the spool is confined therein. Fig. 6 is an end view of the holder, showing a receptacle for buttons secured thereto. Fig. 7 is a detail section of one end of the case shown in Fig. 6, illustrating the button-receptacle. Fig. 8 is a detail section taken on line 8 8 of Fig. 6.

As shown in said drawings, A indicates the sheet-metal case or body of the holder, which consists of connected side and top walls and is open at its bottom for the insertion of the spool. The top wall of the case is preferably shaped to form two oblique or angular walls a a, which join the horizontal top portion a with the side walls a a Said case is made somewhat larger than the spool to be contained therein, so that said spool may be easily inserted within and removed there from. WVithin the case, near the ends thereof and in position to engage the side edges of the end flanges of the spool, are located two pairs of laterally-movable pressers B B, which have spring or resilient connection with the case Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section.

and are adapted to press yieldingly on the spool and to yield outwardly or spread apart to permit the insertion of the ends of the spool between them, the inner faces of said springarms, which engage the spool, being made somewhat concave, so as to hold or confine the spool in its position within the case while permitting the same to turn or rotate. In the particular construction illustrated said pressers B B consist of springarms, which are attached to the case at or near its top and the free ends of which extend toward the open bottom of the case, are curved in Wardly or made of concave form to partially embrace the ends of the spool, and are adapted to spread apart to permit the insertion of the spool between them and the removal of said spool from the case.

As a cheap and simple construction in the parts the four spring-arms B B are made integral with a central plate B, which is located in contact with the top plate a of the case and is secured to the same by a centrally.- locatcd eyelet C, which forms a tubular guide for the passage of the thread from the spool to the exterior of the case. The lower ends or extremities of the arms at each side of the case are also shown as connected by bars B which although not necessary are preferably used to better hold in place and in proper relative position the two arms joined thereby. The integral structure, consisting of the central plate B, the arms B B, and connecting parts B may be readily made by stamping a blank from a flat sheet of metal and bending it into the form shown in the drawings and more readily seen in Fig. 5.

In each end of the top wall a of the case is formed a longitudinal slot D. Said slot is preferably formed by cutting from the metal of the top wall a, tongue (Z, which is joined to the case at the end of the same and the free end of which is bent inwardly and then outpreferable construction are formed as a part of or integral with the plate B, which is provided at each end with two parallel longitudinal slots, forming between them the said tongues, which are bent or curved outwardly, as seen in Fig. 5, so as to pass outwardly through the slots D D in the top wall a when the plate B is secured against the'inner face of said top plate. I

The tongue E, arranged to extend through the slot in the top plate a, as described, serves, in connection with the top plate, as a means for gripping the thread, so that it may be severed by a sharp pull thereon, and also for holding the end of ,the thread on the spool in position to be easily grasped for the purpose of drawing a new length of thread from the spool. By reason of the inclination of the tongue to the wall a an angular opening or notch is formed beneath the end of the tongue,

into which the thread-may be drawn when carried from the guide-tube around the tongue. When the thread is thus carried beneath the tongue, if the end which is grasped ing it from the spool.

by the hand be drawn backwardly from the tongue or toward the opposite end of the case the thread will be gripped between the side edges of the tongue and the side edges of the groove and upon being sharply pulled will be broken or severed at the side edge of the tongue, where it passes out from beneath the tongue, but will be held or gripped at the opposite side edge of the tongue, where it passes beneath said tongue, and will thus be held or confined so that it may be easily grasped for drawing another length from the spool. The guide tube C is extended some distance above or outside of the top wall a, so that the thread when extended from the outer end of the guide-tube to the tongue E will stand above or at some distance from the said top plate and may therefore be easily grasped in its part between said tube and tongue for draw- It will of course be understood that-the spool is held from freely turning by the action of the spring-pressers B B, hereinbefore described, so that when its end is engaged with the gripping device, as described, the part thereof extending from the guide-tube C to the gripping device will be held taut or straight and may thus be readily grasped by the fingers; In order to protect this part of the thread which extends or is stretched from the guide tube to the gripping device from contact with external objects in the handling of the case or when it is not in use and is put in a receptacle with other objects, I rovide on either side of the top plate a lon itudinal flanges F, which are preferably ma e somewhat higher in their middle parts than the tubular guide C. Said flanges are conveniently and cheaply made by cutting flaps from the top wall andbending the same outwardly into a position at right angles to the said top wall. When such as it is drawn from the case. Such piece of wax may be secured to the wall of the case in any suitable way; but, as herein shown, the wall is provided with a slot g, Fig. 3, through which a part of the wax is pressed, the part of the wax which passes through. the slot forming a key to hold the wax on the wall.

The wax when applied to the oblique wall of the case and adjacent to the top wall a, through which the thread passes, is in such position that the thread may be easily drawn over or in contact with the same as it is pulled from the spool. The wax thus attached to the case is always in place and in readiness for use when required.

As a still further improvement the case is provided with a needle-holder, the same consisting of a strip H of felt or other fabric,

which extends along the oblique wall a of the case and is secured in place by means of a plurality of integral loops h h, which are pressed out from the wall and beneath which the strip II is inserted. Needles may be insertedendwise in or through said strip and may be readily withdrawn therefrom when required for use.

The end walls of the case are shown as provided at their lower edges with notches a a to enable the end of the spoon to be readily grasped in taking it from the case. In order to insert the spool, the thread is first passed through the guide C from the inside to the outside of the case, and the spool is then in serted into the case between the pressers B B, a slight inward pressure only being required to force it into its place between the pressers. Said pressers act to hold the spool in the case in the usual handling thereof, while permitting the same to turn or rotate with suflicient ease in drawing the thread therefrom. The rectangular form given to the casehas the advantage of preventing the spool from rolling, and thereby becoming displaced, as when placed on a table, window-sill, or the like.

As a further improvement I provide on one end or wall of the case a button-receptacle I. This, as shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, consists of a cup-shaped piece of metal having a flat marginal flange 05, adapted to rest against the wall of the case to which the receptacle is secured. Pivotal or hinged connection of the receptacle with the case may be provided by means of an eyelet 'i, which passes through the wall of the case and through a lug or ear i on the flange i of the receptacle. The receptacle thus pivoted to the wall of the holder may be opened and closed by swinging it about the pivot formed by the eyelet, the receptacle moving in the plane of the wall to which it is attached. For locking or holding the receptacle in its closed position the flange i is provided with a tongue i, having a rounded projection or stud 0%, which extends toward the wall of the holder and is adapted to enter a hole i formed in said wall when the receptacle is closed, as seen in Fig. 8.

The spool-holder when provided with a button-receptacle, as described, forms a convenient device to be carried by travelers and others and which provides the materials needed to sew on buttons and make slight repairs to articles of wearing-apparel.

I claim as my invention 1. A spool holder of the character described, consisting of a casing which is open at one side for the insertion and removal of a spool, springarms mounted within the easing having oppositely-curved faces adapted to embrace a spool and yieldingly bear upon opposite sides of its cylindrical surface, and a thread-passage through a wall of said casing.

2. A spool holder of the character described, consisting of a casing which is open at one side for the insertion and removal of a spool, two pairs of spring-arms located at opposite ends of said casing and having their free ends directed toward the open side of said casing, said arms being adapted to em brace and yieldingly bear upon the edges of the end flanges of the spool at opposite sides thereof, and a threadpassage through the wgll of the casing which is opposite said open SIC e.

. 3. A spool -holder of the character described consisting of a casing which is open at one side for the insertion and removal of a spool, two pairs of spring-arms located at opposite ends of said casing and having their free ends directed toward the open side thereof, said arms being adapted to embrace and yieldingly bear upon the edges of the end flanges of the spool at opposite sides thereof, the arms of each pair which bear upon the same side of the spool being integrally conthread from the spool, said tube being inserted through said casing and said plate and forming an eyelet which connects the plate to the casing.

5. A spool-holder of the character described, consisting of a casing provided with an opening for the passage of the thread and a guide-tube which extends outwardly from the outer surface of the casing, and a threadgripping device located on the wall of the easing at a distance from said guide-tube, said casing being provided at both sides of the space between the guide-tube and gripping device with outwardly-extending flanges.

6. A spool-holder of the character described, consisting of a casing provided with an aperture for the passage of the thread, and with a slot, and a plate secured to the inner surface of the casing and provided with arms which constitute spring-pressers and with a tongue which passes outwardly through said slot and forming with the edges or walls of the latter a thread-gripping device.

7. A spool-holder embracing a casing which is open at one side for the insertion and removal of a spool, said casing having a slot in the wall thereof which is opposite said open side, a plate within the casing provided with a spring-arms for yieldingly engaging and holding a spool, and also with a tongue which passes outwardly through said slot, and a guide-tube for the thread forming an eyelet which secures the plate to the casing and which projects from the outer surface of the casing.

8. A spool-holder of the character described, consisting of a casing which is open on one side only for the insertion and removal of aspool, and whichis provided with a slot in the wall opposite the open side, a plate within the casing provided with arms which form spring-pressers and with a tongue which passes outwardly through said slot and forms with the edges or walls of the slot a threadgripping device, and an eyelet which secures said plate to the casing and which affords an exit-passage for the thread.

9. A spool -holder of the character de scribed comprising a casing adapted to receive a spool and having interior spool-holding means, and having an aperture for the passage of the thread therefrom, said casing being provided with a slot or opening adapted to receive and hold a portion of a block of wax applied to the exterior of the casing.

10. As an article of manufacture, a spoolholder comprising a casing open on one side only for the insertion and removal of a spool, means within said casing for yieldingly holding a spool therein, said casing being provided with an aperture for the passage of thread from the spool, said aperture being located in the wall which is opposite the open side of said casing, said wall being joined on opposite edges by oblique Wells, upon one of my invention I aflix my signature,inpresenee which is arranged a block of Wax, the other of two Witnesses, this llthday of April, A. D. of said oblique Walls being provided with in- 1904.

tegrally-formed loops beneath which is in- JOHN W'. MEAKER. 5 serted a strip of fabric, substantially as del Witnesses:

scribed. O. CLARENCE POOLE,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as WILLIAM L. HALL. 

